Shules Shuffle
by sweetdetection
Summary: My response to the iPod shuffle challenge. A bunch of short Shules fics based off of songs that popped up on my playlits while on shuffle. More details at the top of each chapter. More to come!
1. It's All Your Fault, Pink

**Notes:** This is going to be a "story" that is actually a bunch of small stories based on songs that came up while my iPod was on shuffle, all of them Shules-oriented. There will be a brief note before every chapter explaining when the story takes place, and anything else that may be relevant. If you have any feedback for any of the chapters, please feel free to leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy.

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **This first song has kind of a suicidal theme to it that I disregarded because I just don't think Juliet is the type to even consider it. Nevertheless, I love the song so much and I thought it had such good lyrics I decided to use it anyway, and this was the result. This story takes place the night of the season three finale.

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_**It's All Your Fault. P!nk.**_

It wasn't as thought Juliet had been expecting something different. After all, Shawn Spencer was probably the closest _living_ example of impulsive she'd ever seen, particularly when it came to the people he cared about. She'd seen him charge into a bank hostage situation for Gus, seen him take on a serial killer for his mom. Sensible was not in his vocabulary. So the fact that all that time he'd spent casually flirting with her had been nothing but adolescent fun for him really shouldn't be surprising, except…

Except he'd called her beautiful.

He was all wrong for her. Wasn't he? Sure he was. Irresponsible, unreliable, juvenile, just plain _silly._ And fun. Boy was he ever fun. Witty. _Smart_. She'd never be able to introduce him to her big, Scottish family. Her nephews would adore him and everyone else would no doubt think she was nuts. She could always chalk this whole evening up to temporary insanity. It might not even be lying, except for the profound ache in her. He'd really hurt her. She sat in her apartment and thought about just how injured she was. Internal bleeding came to mind. And so did the thought of just how bad it would be to see him again at work. It might be better if she _was_ bleeding out. Now that he was Abigail's. Now that he knew how she felt.

"You never should have called me beautiful," she said out loud, and thought that she couldn't hold her breath waiting for him. She'd run out of air.

Shawn Spencer. She shook her head, but there was no turning back now. It was time to face facts. And facts were that she was crazy about him. Completely in over her head. She tossed a pillow across the room, which scared her cat, and thought of how good it would be to be his. How good they would be together. They would have something full of laughter and spontaneity. They would have something the likes of which she'd probably never get a chance to have again. Walking away from it now seemed criminal, but she wasn't sure what else to do. She was desperate, cornered, out of patience. Out of air.

She burrowed her face in the pillow still cradled against her upraised knees. _Dammit, Shawn, it's all your fault. What do I do now?_

Screaming was a viable option. It would likely leave her without a voice in the morning, but she just wanted to let loose some of this _terrible_ energy, which was a byproduct of her terrible anxiety. She could also meet Carlton at the range and shoot things until the memory of being rejected had been drowned in gunfire. It was late. Carlton would probably already be there, though. It's where she always found him.

_Beautiful. Why did he have to say beautiful? Pretty was enough. I could have lived with pretty._

She'd officially lost her mind. She grabbed her holster and her weapon, having decided on the range, and then there was a quiet knock on the door. She hesitated, then decided it might be her partner, and so she went to the door and flung it open. And there he was.

"Shawn."

He looked nervous. He looked guilty. He looked _amazing._

"Jules."

"Abigail?" She peered around him, looking for the other girl. Shawn shook his head. He looked strangely, oddly, deathly serious. She thought maybe he wasn't exactly who she thought he was. Maybe he was better. Somehow. It was hard to articulate. She crossed her arms and knew one thing for sure. She said,

"Well, Shawn. I guess it's now or never."


	2. The Hot Air Balloon, Owl City

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **This song was suggested to me by a fellow fan fiction writer and friend, MrsJHale44. It is a very fun little song, filled with the same sort of energy I've always imagined Shawn to have. This story takes place somewhere right in there at the end of season three, just before the finale. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts.

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_**The Hot Air Balloon. Owl City.**_

The sun was bright, the sea was blue, and Shawn and Juliet were way, way up in the sky. In, and this was the best part, a _hot air balloon._ They'd discovered one in their prime suspect's mobile home. She hadn't taken him seriously when he'd suggested trying it out, but he'd spotted blood on the rope lines and made something up about the killer getting the idea for the perfect dump spot for the victim's body by observing all of Santa Barbara from the air. No doubt when they were up there, something would jump out at him and they'd be one step closer to solving the case. With an eye roll for his familiar psychic antics, Juliet had agreed. Probably because she was out of ideas otherwise. She definitely seemed to think he was out of his mind. But it really wasn't all that farfetched. Shawn was beaming as they stared down over the world. It was even better than he'd expected.

"Shawn." Juliet was careful not to get too close to the edge of the basket. "You _do_ know how to get us down safely, right?"

"Sure," said Shawn, who had absolutely no clue. "Nothing to it, Jules. But why rush? It's _awesome_ up here."

"Shawn." She _was_ a little pale.

"Where do you think we'll land?" he asked, as excited as a little kid. Juliet shook her head, still pale. And covered in goosebumps, since she'd left her jacket in her partner's unmarked police car.

"In power lines," she replied.

"Jules, please. I would never make such a novice mistake. I'm not a total newb." He slid out of his jacket and handed it to her. "Isn't this amazing? We're above everything. Even the stuff that matters."

It was an odd thing to say, and Juliet gave him a strange look as she stuck her arms into his still-warm jacket. Shawn's attention, however, had returned to the view.

"Lassiter's waiting," she said after a while. "Gus, too."

"Yeah. I'm not sensing anything. We're probably too far from the ground. No spirits up here." He began pulling on things, and after some energetic fumbling, the balloon did start to descend. "Too bad. I feel like we could stay up here forever. Go to South America. Like in _Up._ But in a basket, not a house. And without the crying." Juliet gave him a look and Shawn shrugged, not self-conscious in the least. "I felt bad for the old guy." He grinned at her and, feeling a silly little thrill, she smiled back at him.

"No thanks. I'll be kissing the ground where we land. In America."

Shawn shook his head and dropped an arm around her shoulders, glad he had won rock, paper, scissors so that Gus would stay grounded while he and Juliet went up alone. It really was more romantic that way.

"Jules, Jules," he said. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Down there. Somewhere," she answered, not minding the heights so much now that she was warm and anchored to Shawn's solid form. She smiled. "Where my life doesn't depend on a wicker basket to prevent me from plunging to my death."

He frowned at her, but it was playful, and it wasn't until he'd had to let her go to swerve around the rooftops of a very inconveniently located neighborhood that he realized she'd never tried to pull away from him. He grinned to himself and decided that he really, _really_ loved hot air balloons.


	3. Find A Way, SafetySuit

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **This is one of my favorite songs of all time, by a band recommended to me by a long-time friend of mine. It's interesting that I made this one first-person, since it's my PG-13 rated one. This is set sometime in the future, after Shawn and Juliet end up together and Abigail is long gone. As always, please enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

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_**Find A Way. SafetySuit.**_

I was nervous now that we were finally here. In his apartment. In his bedroom. His eyes, normally so alive with fun and mischief, were serious now. I felt my insides rearrange themselves and I reached for the buttons of my jacket, feeling anxious. Feeling overdressed. Feeling the sort of anticipation I had never expected Shawn Spencer to excite in me. But he caught my hands, and there was something like a smile teasing his lips.

"What's the rush, Jules?" he asked, drawing my numb fingers to his lips. "Do you have somewhere to be? Or can you stay? I promise if you do, you'll get your way with me." The last was a joke, lightly and softly told, and I felt a shiver. He didn't have to say he wanted to do this right. I knew he did. I could tell how serious this was for both of us.

"You see," he was saying, drawing me closer to him, his lips tracing my hairline just behind my ear. I shivered again. "I spent so much time trying to capture the right mood. It's all about the _atmosphere_, Jules," he explained. I was losing the ability to concentrate as his mouth moved to my neck. I must have made a noise. I felt him smile against my skin.

I hadn't been planning on ending the evening like this. I was in my _work_ clothes, for crying out loud. _Not_ cute. But Shawn was easing the jacket from my shoulders as though it was a silk negligee, and I felt sexy anyway.

_How does he do that?_ I wondered, and let my fingers find his hair. I was giving in. He'd known I would all along. Damn his psychicness. And thank God for it.

"That's it. Slow," he said, and I thought maybe he wasn't as unaffected by the mood as he was pretending to be. He ran his hands soothingly over my back and upper arms as I touched his hair, lost. The world outside the window stopped really existing, and I knew this was it. He'd made me stay. I was his.

"Jules," he managed, leading me toward the bed. Another time I might have fought him. But I'd been fighting so long. I was tired and he was offering a break from all the reasons why not. I couldn't believe how gentle he was. Shawn was touching me like he thought I might disappear if he used too much pressure with his fingers. We sank into a seated position on the edge of his bed and he kissed me for real. My fingers curled into his shirt, and I might have started to pull it off, but my concentration was shattered when my cell phone rang. And with that one sound, all the reasons why we couldn't do exactly what we were doing came flooding back into my mind. We both pulled away a little, and Shawn looked as though he was thinking that he should have been expecting that. He was the psychic. Maybe he really should have. I recognized the ringtone. It was work.

"Oh." I laughed, self-consciously. "I should…probably get that."

"No," Shawn said, and he was not kidding for once, not trying to be deliberately unhelpful. "You shouldn't."

"Shawn. I'm not even dressed right for something like this. These are my stake-out clothes." A lame excuse. But one of the very few I had.

"It doesn't matter, Jules. I could care less about what you're wearing." He shook his head and I saw that he was scared I _would_ leave, scared that it would mean I didn't really want him. "Don't go."

"This is a mistake," I told him, and there was a knee-jerk, instinctive hurt in his eyes. I'd said those same words to him once before. "This could ruin our work relationship. It could ruin Psych. The Chief would probably suspend me or worse. Most of all, it could lead to botched investigations and --"

"Jules." Something in his voice halted my babble. "I'm scared. But I'm here. And I'm not going to leave. No matter what."

"But--" A thousand scenarios that would make him run from me rushed to the tip of my tongue. A hundred thousand. He smiled, just a little, perhaps reading my thoughts.

"I'll always be there, Juliet."

Maybe it was the sound of my full name from his lips. Maybe it was his promise. All I know is we were kissing again as my phone went to voicemail. Once more, the world faded and it was just me and Shawn. Once more, he'd convinced me to stay.

He reached for the buttons of my shirt but I stopped his hands at the top one.

"I really _am_ going to let you have your way with me, you know," he said, chuckling, against my mouth.

"That's right," I replied, "you are. But Shawn…what's the rush?"


	4. Letting Good Things Go, A Romance Thesis

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **This is a band that I found on Myspace a couple years ago. The lead singer has changed, which is sad, but this song has great lyrics for what I think Jules must be going through in the wake of Shawn and Abigail's relationship. This one takes place a couple days after that last evening in season three.

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_**Letting Good Things Go. A Romance Thesis.**_

Juliet watched Shawn show off the Psych office to his girlfriend, smiling faintly. He was as animated as ever. Happy. And Abigail was laughing with him, small and pretty and easily a match for Shawn's wit. Juliet could admire a girl who gave as good as she got from Shawn "the Psychic" Spencer. But Abigail always seemed to have a response, no matter how wacky he got. Juliet shook her head. And she tried to understand how she'd gotten here with him.

In a lot of ways, she knew what was wrong. Shawn had been right about timing. And Juliet had been lonely for a while. Cats weren't always the best company. She and Shawn had a working relationship, a professional one. Her mother had always said _if you love something…_ Juliet didn't think it was love. Not yet. But she supposed she would have to let this good thing go.

Carlton placed his hand on her shoulder, rousing her from her thoughts. He was staring down at her with shrewd blue eyes, and she wriggled uncomfortably. He had come to know her just a touch too well. Three years did that to a partnership.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Juliet took one last look at Shawn. The reasons were simple, really. She would not approach him again. She'd taken her shot, he'd said no. To try again…even if she _could_, her pride wouldn't let her. That was not a mistake Juliet wanted to make twice.

"Yeah." She turned to him and forced a smile. "Yeah, let's go."

They got as far as the car when she heard running footsteps approaching from the direction of the Psych office. The detectives turned around as Shawn slowed. He offered a smile. There was a pineapple in his hand. It had a Psych-green ribbon and bow wrapped around it.

"Good case," he said. "And Lassie -- good tie."

Carlton buttoned his jacket. He said nothing, but Juliet recognized the look in his eyes. It was the one her big brother had when her first boyfriend dumped her. Obviously, Carlton had no intention of allowing Spencer to hurt her further. He looked willing to come to blows, actually, to keep that from happening. Juliet almost smiled. She had to admit she'd been lucky when she'd been assigned as a partner to the head detective, even though she hadn't thought so at the time.

"Thanks, Spencer, but I don't need your approval every time I leave my house in the morning--"

"Jules." Shawn dumped the pineapple into Carlton's arms. Juliet looked past him, hoping for rescue, but no -- Gus was keeping Abigail company in the office. "I hope that…we're still…aren't we?"

Juliet shook her head, feigning misunderstanding. Shawn looked troubled. At least, as troubled as Shawn ever looked. She turned back to the car, but Shawn's hand lashed out and he caught her wrist. Juliet supposed it should hurt, this persistence. But the majority of the pain had passed, leaving her with a vague confusion.

_You don't let the good things go. There are too few of them to waste, _a voice told her. But she had to, at least for now. She waited for him to say something. To joke. But he didn't say anything, and the confusion remained, badly masked by all those 'simple' reasons.

"Spencer," Carlton said, and there was no mistaking the warning in his tone. He was staring down at her wrist, still caught fast in Shawn's hand.

"Yeah." The trance was broken. Shawn let go and took a step back. "Yeah."

He seemed insecure. She felt insecure. What had happened…they were both to blame. They'd both let the flirtations go too far, given the attraction too much room to grow. She didn't say anything, and floundering, Shawn took one more step back.

"Take care, Jules," he said, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"You too," Juliet replied, and she got in the car with her partner. It was not easy to leave the best things behind -- but she had to. Even if her reasons why seemed hollow. She had to. After a while, Carlton glanced her way.

"Stop for smoothies?" he offered. Juliet smiled in spite of herself.

"You're buying," she countered, and this time he didn't argue. She knew she had to let Shawn go, but she knew equally as well that she'd never _fully_ let him go. And that was a glimmer of hope she could work with.


	5. About A Girl, The Academy Is

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **So there was a few months where the Navy had me stationed in Pensacola, Florida, and it was there that my insane roommate introduced me to this band. I can't tell you how muc fun this song is, you'll just have to look it up and find out if you don't know it already. This story takes place any point after season three.

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_**About A Girl. The Academy Is…**_

The lights sparkled around her, and she was laughing, and she was my whole wide world. I knew exactly how I'd tell her I loved her. I'd even said it out loud before. But she hadn't been there. I'd practiced in front of the mirror at the Psych office. After all, after a certain fashion I _did_ believe in being prepared. Especially when it came to Jules. Because if I wasn't prepared, I was likely to get completely tongue-tied. It always happened when I tried to say the things that matter. So I didn't.

After all, I had a girlfriend. A good one. A _great_ one.

And yet here I was, having to convince myself that was true. Watching Juliet sparkle like the lights as she listened to her partner entertain a group of their uniformed brethren. I smiled just looking at her. Gus stomped on my foot, said something right to me. I ignored him. I was good at it, years of practice. I just couldn't look away from Juliet, feeling…_feeling…_

No. I was not in love.

Not.

In love.

"Shawn!" Gus shoved me.

"Now, was that strictly, absolutely necessary?"

"Your dad's about to speak, Shawn," Gus said, his hands on his hips.

Oh. Right. It was my party, he was my father. I supposed I had enough decorum to pay attention to my dad's speech. But my internal radio kept playing love songs and my eyes kept sneaking back to Jules. She was watching my dad, laughing at some story about me in the eighties, some story about how I was always in trouble. Had always been in trouble. How I would probably go to my grave in trouble. He was probably right. I looked forward to it, honestly.

My heart played a love song to Juliet without my permission.

_No. No way. This song is not about Juliet and I am not. in. love._

The song was playing for real now in the room, all guitar and lyrics everyone knew too well. Juliet was walking toward me and I couldn't breathe. I reached for Gus, but he had moved away to steal food from the buffet Chief Vick had organized. I was alone, deprived of my support system. And undoubtedly screwed.

_It's not your song, _I thought at her, desperate now. Still unable to breathe. She smiled and said, "Congratulations, Shawn."

_I love you-- _"I mean, thanks," --_that was close._

She tilted her head, confused. Adorable.

_Abigail. Love songs are for Abigail._ Even when the lyrics _screamed_ Juliet.

"You deserve it."

"Couldn't have done it without you," I replied, holding my heart out to her on a platter, remembering from somewhere that it would be wasted on her. She couldn't accept it, probably didn't even want it anymore.

_Not my heart, then._

But she had it, whether or not I wanted it back from her.

"The key to the city. That's a big deal."

"Yeah. Gus is excited. Now we don't have to break into the aquarium after hours," I replied dumbly. She smiled at me. I wondered when I would die since I still couldn't inhale. Surely by now I should have been unconscious.

Abigail touched my arm and I finally breathed. Juliet said a polite, even _warm_ hello to her, and melted back into the crowd. I turned to my girlfriend. She socked me in the arm playfully.

"The mayor certainly seems to love you," she said. I managed a real grin.

"What more could you ask for?" I replied, and did not look in Juliet's direction. "Although it could have been that I channeled his dead cat, Pixie." I looped an arm around Abigail's shoulders.

"Come on. Let's ditch the suits and find some pineapple ice cream. Gus won't mind if I steal his keys."

Abigail laughed and I gave her a squeeze, thinking she made me happy. Really happy.

But my heart still played a love song to Juliet.


	6. The Mixed Tape, Jack's Mannequin

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **This song got under my skin and never, ever got back out again. It fits so many situations it's not funny, and when it came up while I was doing these stories, I knew I had to use it for Jules and Shawn. So I did. This is one of my favorite little stories, mostly because it's told from Gus' point of view. It takes place a couple months after the season three finale.

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_**The Mixed Tape. Jack's Mannequin.**_

Shawn had a grand idea. He'd walked through the door to our office still high on it, breakfast ( for him ) in one hand, a blank CD in the other. He smiled at me and I knew this was going to be a long morning. I knew Shawn's smiles. This one meant he was going to employ me in a manner I'd be less than comfortable with.

"Dude. I'm making a mixed tape. CD. Whatever. I need your help."

I set my pen down and eyeballed my friend. He was being deliberately vague already. Which could really only mean one thing.

"Who's the mixed tape for, Shawn?" I asked, knowing the answer.

Shawn looked _too_ innocent. "A friend."

"Right. Starts with a 'J', ends with '--ooliet'?"

Shawn took a deep breath, as though he was about to launch into a long and complicated defense of himself and his mixed tape plan. But then he closed his mouth, shrugged, and grinned. "It's the perfect gift. It says everything."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Shawn." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Sure it is. She'll never guess it's from me. Now, I need your honest opinion: the Police." He was beaming, and he closed my laptop before sitting and propping his feet up. On my desk. I shoved them off. Again.

"I hope you're not thinking of _Every Breath I Take._"

"Too stalker in the bushes?"

"Uh. You think?"

"Right." He paused. "Journey? _Faithfully_ or _Any Way You Want It._ Both classics."

I shook my head. "This is _not_ a good idea, Shawn."

"Oh, Gus. Don't be a smelly cheese wheel. Besides, you already said that."

"It's still true. How're you going to give it to her?"

He shrugged. "Let myself into her apartment?"

I pushed away from my desk, waving my arms in the international gesture for _Oh Hell no._ "I am not helping you break into a detective's house. No way, Shawn. Not in this lifetime."

"Candlebox, _You?_" Shawn caught my adamant glare and sighed dramatically. "Relax, Gus. I'll leave it on her desk at work. And concentrate -- I really need your help here, buddy. I need to write a symphony of sound. I need to pick each song as though I wrote the notes myself. It has to match the width and breadth of her." He paused again and frowned. "Not that she's wide. In fact, forget I said that. Should I rearrange the order a little? These songs are feeling a little disjointed."

"Shawn. She's dating." Clearly, he was trying to make up for what he gave up. Also clearly, it wouldn't work.

He stared at me. "I know. Exactly why I need this mix tape to cut right into her very soul with its honesty and passion, Gus." He brightened. "Blue Oyster Cult, _Burning For You. _And Eddie Money, _Take Me Home Tonight."_

I sighed. And gave up. Like always.

Two days later, I spotted the homemade Psych CD case on her desk, next to a small stereo. On the cover was Shawn's familiar scrawl. And his terrible drawing of a pineapple. And I sighed and kept walking, knowing this little love tryst would be the death of me. Or at least my spotless blood pressure.


	7. Always Be, Jimmy Eat World

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **One of my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs EVER, and also probably one of the songs that I think characterizes Shawn Spencer the best. This song is kind of an oxymoron because it has such a cute, upbeat feel, and the lyrics are so sad. I highly recommend it ( and the whole "Chase This Light" album ). This story takes place the first time Juliet and Shawn end up working a case together after the events of "A Night With Mr. Yang."

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_**Always Be. Jimmy Eat World.**_

I knew it should have been like any other night, like any other case. I was sitting beside Juliet in the car, and we were on our way to pick up Lassie, and Gus would be along, too, once he'd ditched his route. But it was just us. And it was not like any other case, any other night. There was a distance now, a crack between us that may as well have been the Grand Canyon. She drove in silence, her eyes carefully on the road, and she was thinking of Abigail, and I _should _have been thinking of Abigail. But I wasn't. Finally, I forced a laugh in the dead silence of the car. Juliet looked at me and I said, "Karl's Kar Kare. Like I would trust the well-being of my motor vehicle to someone who can't spell _car_ or _care_."

She said nothing. I shut up. For now.

The truth was, I knew I was an ass. I knew she was too good for me. I knew this awkwardness between us would get worse before it got better. Juliet O'Hara was out of my reach, and it didn't matter how many cases I solved or how smart I was. I would never in a million years be good enough for her. She would always be like the stars -- beautiful and just out of reach and --

What was I thinking? I wasn't a quitter. A realist, sure, on my worst days. But not a quitter. And anyway, Abigail was funny and smart and hot.

Juliet drove on, lost in her own thoughts. I thought I should confess the whole thing. Not being psychic. Not believing myself to be the kind of guy she needed. Or deserved. Not being worth her wanting, not after all the lies and all the teasing. But I didn't say a word.

Finally, she said, "You're in a bowling league?"

And I realized I was still in my bowling shirt and shoes.

"Not…no." I shrugged. "They're sponsoring me in a championship. I, uh…I have to wear their gear." I had gotten good, in the past two years. Not that Juliet knew.

"What happened to your Lego sponsorship?"

I smiled, pleased she'd remembered. "Turns out Lego shoes are hard on the arches."

Funny. I had expected to realize when I finally fell in love. But I hadn't really known I was in love with Jules until after I'd lost her. It took a little luster out of the world, to know I couldn't have a shot with her. That maybe I'd lost it. But it was better, probably, in the long run.

I almost said, _Jules, I didn't copy your speed dating answer sheet._

But I didn't. And she kept driving. And I kept being an ass, just a little bit behind the curve.


	8. The Saltwater Room, Owl City

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **And we're back to Owl City, the band that my friend MrsJHale44 suggested to me. Check out her Psych fanfic -- it's called "Say Goodnight Gracie" and you won't regret it. This song has a sort of otherworldly feel, which kind of translated into this fic. I don't feel like it's particularly in-character for Shawn ( my bad, friends ), but I thought I'd put it up anyway, since it kind of captures an alternate version of them. This story has no specific time-print, it could be anywhere after Shawn's rejection.

Also, I'd like to return the honor and dedicate this chapter to MrsJHale44, who is probably my best Psych friend. Thanks, hon!

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_**The Saltwater Room. Owl City.**_

She was really, really close. He could see her just outside the office, wandering the boardwalk. It was like she wanted to knock but couldn't bring herself to come up to the door. She looked cold and confused and alone, and like something out of one of his sadder dreams. Shawn waited for as long as he could bear ( about a minute ), and then he was grabbing his sweater and sneaking out of his own deserted office. It was late, the night was aging quickly, and he wondered why, like him, she couldn't sleep.

She almost decked him when he dropped the sweater over her mostly-bare shoulders. Then she recognized him and the fight went out of her and her gaze returned to the stars. When she looked at him again, she seemed to really _see _him for the first time.

"Thanks," she said. Shawn nodded. It really was cold. They walked along for a while, quiet, and she said,

"You saw me."

"I was awake. Gus was in an infomercial when we were kids. I look for him on TV sometimes."

Juliet peeked up sideways at him. "Really?"

Shawn paused. "No." And she laughed a little and shook her head.

They fell quiet again, and her hand found his, and he held it with care, afraid she'd pull it away once more. But she didn't. And in spite of the chill, he felt comfortably warm. Juliet had stopped shivering, too.

"Shooting star," she remarked, and Shawn glanced up in time to catch a glimpse of its hot white tail.

"Did you wish?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

"Yes," she said, sounding embarrassed, and then she was in his arms suddenly, pressed to his chest, her ear against his heart. It was pounding a little irregularly. Juliet thought maybe she should pull away. And then she didn't. Instead, she took advantage of his warmth, his closeness.

"When I was a little girl, my mom use to tell me if I listened too hard to the waves in a seashell, I'd fall in."

Shawn laughed. "Where did _that_ come from?" he asked, resting his chin on top of her head. Juliet pinched him for laughing at her, but she answered anyway.

"I just thought of it. She called the inside of the seashell the saltwater room."

"Make a certain sort of sense." He watched the waves, and Juliet listened to his heart calm as he got used to holding her.

"Feels like we're in the saltwater room," she murmured, and felt herself getting sleepy. "Or…like home."

"Home?"

But Juliet was drifting in and out of sleep against his chest, and she'd missed the question. He pulled away slightly and looked into her sleepy eyes. She gave him a drowsy, distracted smile.

"Jules, what did you wish for?" he asked, afraid to hope, afraid to breathe.

"I wished that you had said yes." She closed her eyes again, already more asleep than awake once more. "'N loved me," she added.

Something burst and flooded inside of Shawn. "Jules -- why did you come here tonight?"

She furrowed a brow at all the questions, clearly wanting him to shut up and keep her from falling as she drifted to sleep for real. But he looked insistent, so she yawned and answered, marveling at how quickly his warmth had seeped into her.

"I came to ask you to…I wanted to tell you that I…" Juliet dipped her head, speaking to their feet. "I still love you."

Shawn froze. And it took him a while to unfreeze. And then, finally, he said,

"Really?"

And she nodded. And he tilted her chin up so he could look into her beautiful eyes, and right there underneath the stars, he kissed her. Right on the lips.

"Wish come true?" he asked when he'd pulled away to breathe.

"Almost," Juliet replied. It took a moment for Shawn to catch on, but he did, and grinned.

"I love you, too," he told her, and she curled back into his chest and said,

"I know."


	9. When She's Near, Fiction Family

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **I've actually seen a Shules video to this song on youtube, and I downloaded the song since I loved the band's name. And then it came up on shuffle and I thought, well, why not? So this is my attempt at using this song for our favorite duo. This takes place during New Year's, mostly because the song kept referencing it. This one's short and sweet, folks! And probably the better for it.

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_**When She's Near. Fiction Family.**_

"Gus."

Gus sighed. Shawn was bored. This never meant good things for Gus. Usually when Shawn got bored, it meant he got dragged around until they stumbled across a dead body. Or a bank robbery. Or a kidnapping. And Gus really, _really_ needed to focus on his pharmaceutical job today.

"I can't, Shawn," he said, answering his friend's unasked question.

"But Gus, it's perfect weather for murder." He gestured. Gus did not look toward the window. He didn't have to. He knew it was a breezy, perfect seventy degrees, and sunny. The waves were big and sapphire blue. There wasn't a cloud over the whole of the state. At least the southern half.

"Is this because Juliet is in Miami for the new year?"

Shawn straightened a little in his chair and said, defensively, "No."

"Right." Gus kept his eyes on his computer screen.

"I'm _bored._"

Gus ignored him. Shawn stared out at the beach and saw all the people walking the boardwalk on this last day of December. He knew his cover was blown. Gus always knew, especially when it came to Juliet. He'd gotten scared and pushed her away, and she was in Florida now and so far out of his reach it seemed a little like overkill. He wondered if she was thinking about him. He wondered if she knew he was thinking about her. He felt invincible when she was near him. Without her even Santa Barbara's perfect weather seemed gloomy and half-assed. He sighed, weary.

Gus continued to ignore him.

"I'm vexed, dear buddy," Shawn announced. Gus continued to type.

"Shawn." His tapping had a soothing rhythm. "Call her. Tell her you miss her. Propose to her and have her babies for all I care, but let me _finsh. my. work."_

Shawn stared at him, mouth open wide. Gus pointed to the door of the office. Mutely, pausing only long enough to get his pineapple slices from the fridge, Shawn left his best friend to his work.

And thought that it would only fee like a fresh, new year when she was back home. Then his whole world really would be new.


	10. Oh, It Is Love, Hellogoodbye

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**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **So Hellogoodbye is one of those guilty-pleasure, way-too-much-fun bands that have the perfect antsy energy for any sort of project involving Shawn Spencer, this fic included. If you ever feel like you need a sugar punch directly to your spleen, I suggest you listen to Hellogoodbye. Also, this story takes place WAY in the future, after Shawn and Jules get married ( because they will, because I will it to be so ). The rest you can figure out as you read.

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_**Oh, It Is Love. Hellogoodbye.**_

"When did you know?"

"Know what?" He was distracted by her golden hair.

"That you loved me."

"Oh." He hand his hand over her warm skin, marveling that he could. Any time he wanted. "The first moment we touched."

"Really?"

"Can't fake those kind of fireworks."

"The first time we touched?"

"And the first time I really looked into your eyes. I thought it was love then."

"Now you're just being silly and romantic."

"God's honest truth." He crossed his heart.

"So you fell in love twice?"

"Also the first time we held hands. Kind of. At the roller rink. Maniac."

She smiled at the nickname. "So, three times?"

"And the first time we kissed. Well, close-talked."

"Four?" She was laughing.

"I'm serious, Jules." He did _sound_ serious.

"But you fell in love with me four times?"

"Jules." He peeked down at her, lying on his chest on their bed. "I fall in love with you every day."

"Shawn." She wriggled, embarrassed but pleased.

"There's only one problem, though." His hand slid over her stomach.

"What's that?"

"I can't in good conscience name our daughter Millicent."

"Why? It's cute. And I love the name Millie."

"Jules. The kids at school would think she's a villain from a Disney movie."

"That's Mill-_eff_-icent. Totally different." She linked their fingers on her still-flat belly.

"I'm impressed with your offhand knowledge of _Sleeping Beauty._" She could hear the laughter in his voice. "But I'm still gonna have to veto Millicent."

"The prince was hot," Juliet said. "And what do _you_ want to name her?"

"That guy was a chump. And what if it's a boy baby? I think we should name him Carlton."

"_Carlton_!" Juliet laughed. "He'd either shoot you or cry."

"Or both," Shawn agreed, and tickled her. "It would be worth it. No, don't roll over, Jules. I'll miss you."

And Juliet decided they'd have to buy a book of baby names.


	11. Falling In Love At A, Landon Pigg

**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N:** Hello! I'm sorry for the long absence, but I'm in the Navy and there was work to be done overseas so I had to go for a while. And now that I'm back, I bring you this. This is a great song, and I think it's Jules to a "T." This is set after Abigail leaves, maybe in that brief time between that and "Mr. Yin Presents." It's just a warm, sort of morning fic that I really enjoyed writing, even if I wish it had been a little longer.

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_**Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop. Landon Pigg.**_

She likes watching him. She won't tell anyone because she knows they won't understand. But Shawn has this way of disappearing into himself, of going places other people can't take her, and she wants to come along sometimes. She can see it in his eyes, she can see that he's miles and miles away, and the adventure appeals to her more than she admits even to herself.

But her heart knows. She thinks it's really very likely that she's fallen in love with him, and it makes her feel like there's a little sun in her chest in roughly the same place as her heart. She's tried dating other people, of course, because _he's_ been dating someone else, and sure, Abigail's gone but he still hasn't said anything to her so she keeps trying other things. But she knows she'd rather be alone. Just in case…Just in case he _does_ approach her. In case he tells her that maybe they should go on a date. A proper one.

It is hurting her to wait. But as she sits and sips at her coffee and watches him explore some place no one else can touch, she thinks that the hurt isn't all bad. Gus is talking to him, saying that he should just get to the point and tell them all why he's summoned them to this coffee shop, but she doesn't think it matters. There's a look and she knows that there was no real plan, but she also knows that _he_ knows this is her favorite coffee place.

And he smiles at her and it becomes even more her favorite place, because its that smile she loves, that one that's for her and she can tell because she's never seen him give it to anyone else.

So she doesn't care why they're here, or what might come over the course of the rest of the day. For now, this morning, this is enough. There is hope in his smile and she feels her own hope get a little stronger, and the day is going to be wonderful.


	12. World Of Chances, Demi Lovato

**SHULES SHUFFLE**

**A/N: **I've been waiting to write this fic for a long, long time. It came out different than I thought it might but I still like it quite a bit. This song really touched me and when I was watching the show it occurred to me that it would probably describe exactly what Juliet has been feeling all through the forth season. This is set after "Mr. Yin Presents."

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_**World of Chances. Demi Lovato.**_

Shawn Spencer was born to smile. He's so generous with them, he smiles at everything, for anyone. There are only a couple that are real smiles and I've learned which ones they are. The real ones could break your heart. I guess I would be the subject matter expert: he'd certainly broken mine.

Not that I'm going to tell anyone. But I wonder if he knows how many times I've given him another chance. Probably not: Shawn picks up on a lot of things, Shawn's good at people. But I don't think he has any idea how many times I've picked myself up, brushed myself off, and reminded myself that the ends would justify the means. That he's worth it. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not.

I've tried saying goodbye, too, since this is such a vicious cycle. Tried to say it over the phone. To email it. To write him a letter. But there are never the right words and then he usually does something _wonderful_ and it's probably by accident ( but how many times can you accidentally be wonderful? ) and I'm back where I started.

But it's not so easy anymore. Things changed on that clock tower whether I wanted them to or not ( and I don't want them to, for the record. I mostly don't want them to ). And it's not easy to pick myself up anymore. I'm running out of chances to give him and he's still burning through each opportunity, not even aware he's doing it. Not even aware that bits of my heart are crumbling away each time a moment passes that could have been _the_ moment except for that he's afraid.

Well, I understand it. Sort of. Shawn loves easy but…saying it. That seems to be his kryptonite. The one limit he has. Maybe it was the way he was brought up, maybe it's his inability to take life seriously. But understanding it doesn't mean I can wait forever.

And maybe one day in the future ( whether it's the near future or a further one is entirely up to him ), maybe I won't be there when he calls. Maybe there won't be a forwarding address. Maybe he'll finally take a chance and I'll be all out of them, and gone, just a memory of something that could have been wonderful.

I hope it doesn't end that way. But that's the way life is, all to often. And as bad as the idea scares me, I can sense that day coming…

Except…except he's being accidentally wonderful again, and maybe he's bought himself a little time. I'll hold onto that, and wait a little while longer, because a world of chances means he does _have_ time. And the look in his eyes tells me that he just might, just maybe will take that chance a little sooner than I'm expecting.


End file.
